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Journalism of Courage
US President George W. Bush engineered an informal encounter with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, and renewed US praise for Islamabad’s support in the US anti-terror campaign.
Bush dropped by on a meeting between Kasuri and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice at the White House yesterday, rounding off a visit to Washington in which the minister met every senior US official.
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‘‘President George W. Bush was kind enough to also join us in the meeting for some time,’’ Kasuri said. ‘‘The President acknowledged the contribution of Pakistan to war against terrorism.’’ Bush spent 15 minutes with Kasuri, a senior administration official said. ‘‘Drop-by’’ meetings are used by US Presidents to hold informal encounters with visiting dignitaries, even though protocol does not dictate official talks with the US Commander-in-Chief.
Kasuri said he raised the issue with Bush of new US anti-terror rules which require males over 16 years of age from more than 20 mainly Muslim states, residing in the US, to register with immigration authorities. He has spent much of his visit demanding an opt-out for Pakistanis from the scheme, by virtue of their country’s strong support for the US anti-terror drive in Afghanistan.
